1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image editing device, and to an image editing method to perform image editing processing on image data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, image capturing apparatuses, such as video cameras and digital cameras, are widely used for capturing subject images.
When performing a photographing operation by using a known image capturing apparatus, a photographer has to perform, for example, a zooming operation, while checking a subject via a camera finder with the camera in hand. Accordingly, the photographer has to concentrate on the photographing operation, and when performing photographing at various events, such as sporting events or festivals, he/she cannot participate in them. Particularly for video cameras that require the photographer to perform a photographing operation at very short intervals, it is more difficult for him/her to participate in events than when using digital cameras for photographing still images.
Image capturing apparatuses that are worn on the head of a photographer are known. As this type of device, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-281520, discloses the following type of optical device. A line-of-sight detection sensor is disposed near an eyeball of a user to detect the condition of the eyeball. Then, based on the detection results, the focus adjustment, zoom control, rotation control for lenses based on the line of sight can be performed. In particular, for the rotation control for lenses, the camera itself is moved based on the line-of-sight information so that the photographing direction matches the line of sight. That publication also discloses a technique for performing zoom control based on the movement of the crystalline lens of an eyeball of the user.
Image editing devices for performing predetermined editing processing on photographed images have also been proposed.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 9-130732 discloses a moving-picture editing device that can handle different scene changes. In this device, each frame image which forms an input video signal is compared with the adjacent frame image, and a comparison result is detected as a change in the image. When the degree of change exceeds a predetermined threshold, it is determined that a scene change, which is the switching of scenes, has occurred. In this case, based on the continuity of the degree of change, a determination is further made as to whether the scene change is instantaneous switching of scenes or gradual switching of scenes. When it is determined that the scene change is instantaneous switching of scenes, the point at which the scene change has occurred is detected as an instantaneous scene change. When it is determined that the scene change is gradual switching of scenes, a period from the point at which the scene change has occurred to the point at which the change of the image has stabilized is detected as a period of a gradual scene change. This moving-picture editing device edits moving pictures while handling both the instantaneous scene change and the gradual scene change.
In the configuration disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-281520, the camera itself is moved so that the photographing direction matches the line of sight. This makes the rotation mechanism of the camera large and heavy, which is not suitable for an image capturing apparatus worn on the head. It is also difficult to perform precise control due to the complexity of the adjustment between the visual axis and the optical axis of the camera. Additionally, the zoom control based on the movement of the crystalline lens of the eyeball does not always reflect the user's intention. That is, from the movement of the crystalline lens, only focus information (information concerning the distance to a subject) can be obtained, and even when the user looks a distant place, it does not always mean that he/she wishes to zoom the distant place.
In the technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 9-130732, the image editing processing is not performed based on the photographer's intention or based on the movement of the photographer. Thus, editing results do not always satisfy the photographer. Additionally, it takes time to perform editing processing since the degree of change is detected for all frame images.